1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to hearing protectors, and in particular, the invention relates to a hearing protector to protect against high, continuous or impulsed, noises. The hearing protector can function either in a selective attenuation mode or a maximum attenuation mode.
2. Description of Related Art
In the selective attenuation mode, sound attenuation is low for a specific range of frequencies and increases for sounds with frequencies above those in the specified range. Selective attenuation is especially effective for the loudest noises. A sample application of a hearing protector operating in the selective attenuation mode is the intelligible speech transmission in a noisy environment caused by impulsed noises, such as gunshots, for example. In this case, the frequency range in which the attenuation is low is between 100 to 1000 Hz. In the maximum attenuation mode, the hearing protector stops all sounds throughout the frequency range, regardless of their intensity.
French Patent Publication No. 2 676 642, filed in the name of the Applicant, discloses a hearing protector that is not cumbersome and contacts the auditory canal. The protector comprises an elongate flexible body containing selective attenuation means, maximum attenuation means, and a manually controlled plug that makes it possible to choose the attenuation functional mode to be either selective or maximum. However, this device requires careful handling by the user who wants to block the auditory canal himself. This manipulation can be done incorrectly, resulting in inefficient blockage in the selective or maximum attenuation modes.